Computer Use On Off Repeatedly

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When cursor attempts to control the desktop it highlights the Mac screen in blue.

However when it does this it turns off about 1 second later. It keeps turning off then on repeatedly. So fast I can never get my mouse over to stop in time before it disappears.

I am just trying to fix computer-use so it turns on and stays on.

I have checked my permissions and I cannot figure out why it is doing this. Im fairly certain that computer use isn’t intended to go on then off and repeat for every action. It can still control the mouse but its almost like its taking a screen shot and turning off. Then moving the mouse, turning back on, then turning off. Moving mouse again, turning on… repeat.

I can’t accurately find the words to describe this weird issue, but I was hoping someone would know how to resolve this. Computer use is sometimes necessary for what I am trying to accomplish.

Steps to Reproduce

Invoke any request that requires desktop control.

Expected Behavior

computer-use turns on and stays on for the duration of the task.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.20.21
VS Code Extension API: 1.128.0
Commit: f09fca384ceca23f7bf21f9c23655b162641d740
Date: 2026-09-13T19:02:51.781Z
Layout: Agent Window
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 42.10.0
Chromium: 148.0.7778.280
Node.js: 24.18.1
V8: 14.8.178.38-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.291
OS: Darwin arm64 25.6.0

Additional Information

You can’t see the blue outline of the screen turning on/off repeatedly between mouse moves/clicks. Screen record would not pick this up.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the report and the recording.

What you’re seeing isn’t a permissions issue. The blue outline and the “Cursor is controlling this Mac” pill at the top are Cursor’s own indicator. It shows that the agent is currently moving the mouse or typing. Right now it only stays on during each individual action and hides while the agent takes a screenshot and thinks, so it flashes on and off at every step. That’s how it works today, not something broken on your machine. I agree it’d make more sense to keep the indicator on for the whole task and have the Stop button available. I’ve shared that feedback with the team.

From the recording, I can see you’re running this via the Agents Window with the Computer Use subagent on a local Mac. That’s enough to confirm the behavior, thanks.

For now, the reliable way to stop the agent is the Stop button square in Cursor’s chat input, not the on-screen pill.

I’ll post updates on this here.

7

Thank you.

I was actually thinking to myself “I bet this is intentional” but the button to “stop” computer use literally flashes for milliseconds making it almost like a game of how quick can you move the mouse/trackpad to click stop.

I agree they really need to clean up the UX on that part.

Thank you! :blush:

8

Hey, glad I could help clear it up. I agree on the UX side too. The indicator and the Stop button should stay available for the whole task, and I’ve already passed that to the team. If there’s an update on this behavior, I’ll reply here. For now, the most reliable way to stop it is the Stop button (square) in Cursor’s chat input. Let me know if anything else comes up with computer-use.